I don't think you've seen real freedom until you've packed a car and driven across half a continent just because.

My roadtrip to Adelaide was so liberating and exciting. I have only been there once before and I flew so this experience was completely different. It makes me want to do the drive to Western Australia but at the same time that drive terrifies me. Maybe one day. Team Perth will just have to convince me I suppose.

Here are some more images from my drive:

Just after this sign the SA Authorities took my apple away. I really wanted that apple. Especially once they took it away. This sign is so retro. I am glad they haven't updated it. It's part of the furniture now.

This little building was in Manangetang. One of the many amazing shopfronts. Most of them were closed down. It's sad what's happened to a lot of these towns. Now that the river isn't viable any more, they just don't get the love that they used to have. You see it much more in NSW. Towns like Wilcannia. They just sort of sit like mausoleums to a forgotten time.

Warning. Venomous snakes inhabit this area. Keep a look out. At Yanga Homestead. Didn't see any snakes. The guide lady said there are no more snakes here than anywhere else and they have the sign mostly just so that if someone's bitten, they've only got themselves to blame. I'd say that was true for the whole damn continent, but there you have it.

The spiffy new bridge over the river at Balranald. I've been here before, but there was no bridge back then, just some old timber structures, now gone. Life goes on.

This is just north of Adelaide. I feel like it's actually pulling me in a little bit when I look for too long.

I wanted to thank all of you so much for your support with my fundraising for Random Acts this week. I've never done a fundraiser (outside of those tacky highschool ones) in my life before. I raised almost AU$100 in under 48hrs. It's all been donated and you can see the donation receipt over on my Twitter account. I feel like I did such an amazing little thing and it's really inspired me to do things like that more often.

I have to say, I'm really inspired by Misha Collins and his amazing work with founding the charity. I first found out about him when I saw him playing Castiel on Supernatural (a show I love) but it wasn't till I followed him on Twitter that I saw what an amazing person he was as well as being a rather fine actor. So many people would never have thought to use their fame for all this charity stuff yet here he is just fucking owning it and running Gishwhes too. I am so amazed that I actually got to meet him. He winked at me twice. We all know what that means. :P

The prints I was selling for my fundraiser are all still available at my Etsy store. 50% of the proceeds from this set of prints will (and will always) be donated to Random Acts. I really need to do up a new batch for you guys. I've shot so much new stuff since I had these prints made, but I love them anyway.

Yeah my good old prints. Haha. You get the idea, at least.

I also hosted a couple of photoshoots at my house and now they've been submitted I can show you all some previews! Both of these were shot in my lounge room by @exkyu. He even vacuumed under the couch (score).

This first one is @twiggythespider who did an amazing job:

And also @harvest who was so so fun to shoot and did awesome too:

Also, if you haven't already, go follow my sister @mouse (yes she is my actual sister go follow her). Her first ever set comes out in like three weeks. I'm so excited about it. But for now, it's work and burying myself in my writing whenever I get the chance. I think blogging here has cleared out my writer's lazyness, so I'll see what happens if I alt+tab back to my document now.

sounds like you had a fun little trip. I really feel for your sister and how up to her neck in exams she is. Apparently, George RR Martin is doing a charity thing himself for his adoptive home of Santa Fe. For the bigwigs or others with $10,000 US laying around just to spare he's writing them into Game of Thrones and letting them choose their station and how they die. So, keep being awesome Countessa, always look forward to seeing whatever shenanigans you post that you've accomplished.